Seymour city staff briefed council on the Texas Department of Agriculture downtown revitalization program on Nov. 20 and recommended contracting for both administration and engineering in order to be ready when applications open in January 2026.

Staff said Phase 1 applications will be invited in early 2026 and that eligible projects are limited to activities inside a downtown district. Maximum grant awards are $1,000,000 with a required 5% local match. The scoring and ranking committee recommended awarding administration to Public Management for $60,000 and recommended Jacob & Martin for engineering services. Council voted to award the administration contract to Public Management (to be paid from grant funds if awarded) and authorized staff to negotiate engineering contract terms with Jacob & Martin should Seymour be invited into Phase 2.

Council members noted that the 5% match would come from city funds if the project moves forward and that any Phase 2 project scope and slum/blight designations would return to council for formal approval before grant acceptance.